Thursday, August 22, 2013

Arkham Origins

I'm probably what the nerds-in-the-know might refer to as a Mid-core Gamer, if that's actually a term. Either way, seems apt. I'm more than just a casual gamer, but no where near obsessed. I like video games, a lot actually. I have an X-box, and I use it quite a bit, but gaming isn't my main thing. Where I will often buy more books than I'd ever be able to read unless I was holed up in the mountains and waiting out the Apocalypse--ah, to dream--or how I always have a near-constant backlog of movies I'm planning to watch, sometimes I'll go for long stretches without turning on a game. Although honestly, there are also times where I do nothing but... My point is, I have a rule when it comes to games: Only one example of each type of video game at a time. For example, I still have Halo 4 to finish, so I won't buy another First Person Shooter until I do. I don't bother implementing rules like that when it comes to my other obsessions, if that tells you anything. Long story short? (Too late)

Not a huge Gamer.

Anyway, of the ones I do obsess over, the Batman Arkham games are some of my favorites. There's two of them so far and I'm currently pretty close to done with the second one, which is good, because there's a third on the way and I really want it.

For my Amish Readers out there, the first game is called Arkham Asylum. It's a Third-Person Action-Adventure with some Stealth game features, kind of like Tomb Raider or... whatever, who cares... and in it you play Batman as he deals with a big break-out at Arkham. Arkham Asylum is where Batman dumps all the big-time crazy-ass bad guys after he beats the crap out them. I'm not sure why he still uses the place, because people break out of there all the time. It happens so often, in fact, the story line shouldn't even be that big of a deal anymore. The game should have been called Batman Arkham Asylum: Must Be Tuesday.

The second game is called Arkham City and the shit has hit the fan EVEN MORE as the slums of Gotham have been turned into a Super-Max Prison. This is of course, a super terrible idea because... duh, so things get out of control and Batman has to go in and start opening multiple cans of Whoop-ass. The game is an Open-World Third-Person Action-Adventure with Stealth Game features. You can go all over the place and there's so much to do. It's huge. It's beautiful. Lots of enemies. Lots of side missions. Lots of puzzles. Lots of special features and extra characters. Plus, you can play as Catwoman and Nightwing. That's awesome. It's tons of fun, a really great game. Although... come on... a Super villain Super-Max Prison in the middle of the city?

Somebody in the Gotham City Planning Office needs to be fired.

In the end, I really enjoyed both games, so as a result I'm really excited for this new third one. In the big-picture of the main story line, this game is a prequel of the first game, so it focuses on a younger and inexperienced Batman. This is always fun, because as I'm sure you're all aware, old Batman is a big badass, but younger Batman usually has a harder go of things, which will make the game a little more challenging. In a nutshell: Huzzah, people. Hu-motherfucking-zzah. Can't wait.

And as the cherry on top, to herald the new game's approach--known as Arkham Origins--the Powers Behind the Scene have put out a Cinematic Trailer.

Let's take a look.

I like the young Batman angle. I really like the inclusion of Deathstroke... But other than that, the trailer doesn't really tell you much. It shoudn't, of course, it's a Cinematic, they're not supposed to. For the most part, they're all about the Wow Factor, and it worked, I am wowed, but I honestly didn't need to be. I was going to get the game no matter what, even though my plan is to wait for when the Game-of-the-Year version gets released. That way I can have all the extra skins and characters and what not without having to do all the stupid on-line extra shit to get them... I hate that crap. Really, my whole reason for posting this is basically because I love Cinematic Trailers. Love them. I think they look great. I don't know why they don't make a feature-length video in this style.

I'd watch the hell out of that.

So... even though I've posted these before, maybe multiple times, I've decided to post some of my favorite Cinematics below. Yes, again. So what, who cares, I love these. If you haven't seen them, you should definitely watch them. For those of you out there who didn't like the style or the story of the Wonder Woman shorts I posted the other day, these are more traditionally super-awesome.

The first one is my favorite. It's for the DC Universe Online Game. I hear the game is kind of crappy, but who cares, I love this trailer. Now, admittedly, I'm a sucker for a good dystopian superhero story, it's my jam, but that's not the only reason, it's also really well done. It's got a good story that it tells well. There's great details and some fantastic designs all over the place. And the fights are a blast. It's good, man.

Check it out.

Most of all, I love the little details in this one. Harley Quinn wearing Robin's cape, but it has a big bullet hole in it? Green Lantern fighting with a broken arm? Luthor's high ground being the obliterated Daily Planet? Green Arrow's dead body on the battlefield? So great. My only complaint is Superman doesn't quite sound right, the voice actor is... not the best. But other than that, Wonder Woman is pretty awesome. So is Black Adam. Also, I love that the result of Batman's damaged arm is called-back in the second trailer...

This one is good. Not as good as the last one, but it really digs into the story line more, enough to really irk me that they didn't continue the series. Total missed opportunity. Fracture's abilities were pretty cool. And I love the ending, the Luthor betrayal, the time travel, all great stuff. Plus, you know Batman isn't dead, he's totally going to appear out of nowhere in the past, looking even more chewed-up than before, and ready to kick Luthor's ass... Man, I really wish they'd continued this.

Somehow I'll find the strength to go on...

This last trailer was originally released as three separate clips and here someone has put them all together in order. The best part about these Cinematics is that they remind you just how easily Star Wars can be cool again, because sometimes that's a hard thing to remember. This 14 minute short is basically everything I have ever wanted to see Star Wars do. Hopefully the new trilogy will skew this direction, but... well, let's not worry about that right now.

Instead, let's watch the trailer...

Best lightsaber fights ever, right? Plus, I love all the cool female characters. I'm not that big a fan of Cowboy Bob, as a general rule I think wide-brimmed hats and trench coats is never a good idea when it comes to character design and I really don't understand the type of folks who do, but that's a small complaint. Over all, there's a lot of awesome in these trailers, a lot of awesome and a lot of long-time love. I support that.

Published Work

Now you can get all the short stories published this year through the Onyx Neon Shorts Imprint, at a fraction of the cost, plus a lot of new content too. This collection not only includes my short story Harris, but a new one as well. It's called Billy Torch takes a Beating.